Battlestar Galactica: This Is A Boy’s Show?

The big day is closer, and I am not the only one whose anticipation has spilled over onto a web page. (Far from the only one I am sure, but we need not get into my internet-phobias here.) And there is something out there for everyone. For the virgins (KP) there is an video on SciFi.com that in eight (very funny) minutes tells you everything you absolutely need to know in order to start watching on Friday. “What The Frak Is Going On?” is informative, entertaining, and probably guaranteed to convince you of BSG’s worth. For the tramps (me) there are debates and theories and Last Supper recreations. An article I just finished is about how BSG could save your marriage. I (almost) wish I were a virgin again, because the female side was glaringly inaccurate, but if I had never seen the show I would not know that, therefore I would not be so annoyed right now. But the husband/wife debate propelled me to thinking, because it is based on a premise that I would never have thought in the first place, let alone assented to. Who is the nimrod that posited that Battlestar Galactica is a show for boys?

Frak that!

Let me explain something. I have four brothers and a very strong mother. I have believed since birth that women are intelligent, dignified, and honorable creatures; it is only through laziness and abnegation of personal responsibility that to be different from a man means to be less than a man. Do not mistake any of this for Jane-Fonda-women’s-lib-herstory bullshit. I am talking about my inherent worth based on the fact that I am a being created by God with a rational soul. My brothers did not get to have my dolls, but I was encouraged to make use of all the toys in our home: G.I Joe and I were dear friends, Lego open up new possibilities for me, and there was nothing like a Saturday morning in the dirt with Tonka. There has never been a point in my life that I believe aliens, Westerns, guns, or not showering is boy territory. (But really, we should all shower.)

So, can you see why I am a bit confused by this idea that BSG is in a genera for boys? My TV taste has always embraced science fiction, and not just the kind that portrays ass-kicking women. Supernatural is one of my favorite shows, but both of the main characters are male, and quite a few plots revolve around rescuing a damsel. (But did anyone else catch that the actress who plays Ellen on Supernatural was also on an episode of BSG?) My initial reluctance to BSG was not the genera or subject matter, rather it was a result of having seen a few moments of the camptastic original version. Shudder.

I have to say that I think women are intentionally built into the show as an audince. I am not even talking about Starbuck’s badassness, or Sharon’s awesomeness, or Six’s ability to remind all of us that the gym is not necessarily optional. Can you honestly tell me that with the amount of time that Apollo and Helo spend with their shirts off that the producers are not completely aware of just how many women (and gay men) are watching? Those beautiful scenes are not cheep ploys to lure in female viewers; they are proof that the show creators/producers realize that the question of what makes us human (the primary question of BSG) is non-gendered, and will be applicable to and appreciated by both sexes. Therefore they know that they have women viewers who need a little eye-candy to lift up their spirits when things look bleak.

The TV Girl